So What Now?
by Wearethedreamersofdreams
Summary: She was infuriating. She rarely shut up. She wore those stupid tiny skirts with even stupider knee high socks and even worse, he couldn’t stop thinking about her.
1. How it begins

**I unfortunately own nothing :( If i did Glee would be on now and not April!**

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_**Chapter 1**_

She was infuriating. She rarely shut up. She wore those stupid tiny skirts with even stupider knee high socks and even worse, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He didn't know how it had begun but suddenly she had made him breath again, suddenly he hated when she wasn't speaking to him and suddenly those skirts and socks appeared in every dream he had, whether she was doing kinky shit or not; the most infuriating thing about it all however was that she seemed oblivious.

After the fiasco that was McKinley highs own baby gate she had been the only one to still talk to him normally and talk she did, about stupid musicals or other crap he'd never heard of but strangely he had found it kind of comforting, she never pushed him to talk about it or try and fix things with Finn. Not like all the others who if they weren't staring daggers at him were telling him to make things right.

They had quickly fallen into a routine. He'd take her to and from school, where she'd lecture him about his trucks cleanliness and his bad taste in music. He'd sometimes go over to hers where he'd help her with her MySpace videos and laugh at her décor, to which her response was a pillow to his face. She'd go over to his to help him study, pulling faces at the state of his bedroom, to which he'd pull off one of her socks and chuck it out his window. It was odd, he knew, but it was the most real thing he had. On the day he found out she was going on a date with Finn he had hit the gym so hard he couldn't move the next day. On the following day when she had told him that there had been no spark with Finn and after all that effort they had always been destined to be friends he had kissed her, sucking slowly on her bottom lip, right before his sister had burst into his room telling him "someone called Sultana something or other is screaming for you" as she thrust the phone into his hand.

When Quinn lost the baby and everyone else had gone home from the hospital, Rachel had stayed behind in the corridor, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder as he held his head in his hands. He had expected some speech from her about how all things happen for a reason but she just sat there silent, hand on his shoulder, until he had got up and left. Over the next few days he had shut himself off completely, rarely moving from his bed and ignoring her texts and phone calls. He had gone through two weeks of silence before he turned up on her doorstep with his apology only to find out from one of her dads that she had left for the summer, some summer programme in New York.

After that he didn't really see anyone except his mum and sister and the occasional pool cleaning client. He told himself he didn't care, that he didn't miss anyone but when Finn had turned up one day on his doorstep shuffling his feet and stuttering out words like, "Need to move forward" and rambling on about how he was giving Quinn another shot, he had felt an enormous weight he didn't realise was there lifted off his shoulders. He had smiled and pulled Finn in for a half hug before he added "Don't worry, I promise I won't knock her up again, or have sex with her for that matter." Upon noticing Finn's expression he had added "Too soon?" to which Finn had laughed. Things were finally getting back to normal. Except it had been a month and he missed her.

He slowly became integrated with his fellow club mates again, joining them sometimes when they hung out. Kurt and Mercedes had filled him in about Rachel, how she had been asked on some Julliard summer scheme, he had pretended he didn't care shrugging his shoulders and saying, "Good for her, even better for us, all this quiet." He took Mercedes shaking of the head as a sign that she wasn't stupid.

On his third attempt to have sex with a totally hot cougar he had given up, he only got excited if he thought about dark hair and short skirts and the one time one had dressed up in knee socks he had criticised that she wasn't wearing them right, when really he knew that it was because the right person wasn't wearing them.

After six weeks he had texted her, he had been at Brittany's party totally not missing her, until he was wasted and apparently had sent her a message. His only proof the next day as he nursed his hangover was a sent message to Berry with the words, you left me. She hadn't replied with a message but had tried to call him half an hour after it was sent, something he hadn't realised because at that point he was puking, then passing out.

He had stared at his phone screen for an hour straight before going to breakfast with Finn and the gang, he resisted the urge to take out his cell and stare at the missed call at the diner but everyone's attention was on him as they laughed about how drunk he had been, including Kurt totally scaring the shit out of him by lying about him trying to kiss him, he had just smirked and said "In your dreams Hummel." to which Kurt had replied "Always" with a wink. He had barely noticed when Finn left the table to answer his cell but nearly choked on his soda ten minutes later when Rachel walked into the diner and Finn said "Surprise" to everyone before skipping over to pick her up in a hug.

He sat there like an idiot, flexing his fingers into fists then unclenching to rub them in his jeans as everyone else got up to say hello, it was only when Quinn literally pushed him out of the booth did he stand up, moving from one front to the other then quickly nodding a "Berry" in her direction, she gave him a small smile and a polite "Noah" before adverting her attention to Quinn, moving to hug her. She then had rambled on about how she had missed everyone, that she had loads to tell but that she was super tired and just stopped by to say hello, before she exited the diner just as quickly as she had walked in. He stared at the door and wondered how that had been it, six weeks and all he got was a hello. Mercedes seemed to read his mind as he sat down because she shook her head at him before adding "Berry? You pine away for six weeks and all you got is Berry? Damn you're a dumbass sometimes!" He tried to think of some witty retort about how he was badass or even a killer insult but instead he tapped the table, nodded at her once, then bolted to his truck. Damn chick. She was right.

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**This hasn't been beta'd so is probably full of mistakes, let me know if you find any :)**


	2. We Meet Again

**Chapter 2**

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Julliard had been everything she expected it to be, the boy constantly on her mind whilst she was there however was completely unexpected.

When nobody would give him the time of day she had extended an olive branch of some sort, partly because it was her fault he was on the outs in the first place and partly because she knew he didn't deserve all of the blame. She was surprised when he accepted a form of friendship from her in the first place but quickly discovered Noah was full of surprises.

When he wasn't acting like a complete Neanderthal or sexual profanities weren't exiting his mouth he could actually be quite sweet. Like the time he invited her over to help babysit and she watched as he made his little sister dinner and watched "Some Disney shit" just to shut her up. Or the time when he had defended her honor by scaring the life out of Jacob Ben-Israel and retrieving her underwear, sure he had kept her panties in his coat pocket for two days, but all that mattered was that he had given them back to her in the end.

She was surprised when she saw his truck parked in front of her house on a Monday morning and as she entered the vehicle about to question him or maybe thank him he had covered his hand over her mouth and said "Berry don't mention it, it's too early to listen to you going on ok?!" She had merely nodded as he removed his hand. Every school morning and afternoon thereafter his truck was always waiting and she had learned the lesson that sometimes silence was golden where he was concerned, except when he put on music that hurt her ears or if she sat on a food wrapper, then she couldn't help her "going on" as he put it.

Sometimes he would drive her insane, like when he'd pull her socks off if she offended him, which was often. She decided one week that if she stopped wearing them all together then he wouldn't have anything to remove. Her plan worked marvelously but when he mentioned one day on the ride to school that he missed those slutty socks she had worn them the next day.

When Finn had asked her out Noah was the first person she told. Upon asking his advice on what she should wear she had noticed the hurt look in his eyes and how he had tensed his jaw at her words, but when he had replied with "Shit Berry, do I look like someone who cares." She had put it down to him missing Finn. Her train of thought couldn't have been more wrong however because when she told him she no longer felt that spark with Finn, he had smiled before pulling her face to his and kissing her softly. She can barely remember his sister entering the room or Noah's face as Santana's voice filled the room through the phone, all she can selfishly remember is that the spark that had been missing with Finn was now ignited thanks to Noah.

She had expected him to close himself off, just not from her and especially not for so long. When she had received a letter from Julliard offering her a place on a one month workshop she had deliriously jumped around the room until she remembered she didn't have him to share it with. On the day she left she tried ringing him three more times and on the way to the bus station made her dad's stop by his house. His truck was in the driveway but nobody answered the door.

She was kept updated on all Lima gossip by Mercedes and Kurt's calls and texts but it was actually a call from Finn where she learned that everything was finally returning to normal. She couldn't help smiling down the phone after hearing Finn's words that he and "Puck" were talking again; it was when she had hung up that the smile disappeared, she couldn't believe Noah hadn't told her this or contacted her at all for that matter. Any guilt she felt about leaving evaporated now he had his best friend back, instead it was replaced by anger that he could just forget about her now he had been forgiven. She made a mental note at that point to forget Noah Puckerman for the summer, Julliard was everything she had wanted and she wasn't going to let him ruin that.

She threw herself into the experience, relishing the fact that she met some people more passionate about music than herself, if that were even possible. When one student had broken into a truly disturbing rendition of Sweet Caroline, only then had she locked herself in a bathroom stall and cried cursing the irony, when Noah had sung it that day in Glee they had both wanted other people, now hearing it again from someone else, all she wanted was him. Afterward she dried her eyes, composed herself and performed her solo of " On my Own" absolutely note perfect, even if she did think so herself.

She was nearly halfway through the horrendous bus journey home when she had heard her Blackberry beep, she had sleepily picked it from her bag, immediately waking up when she saw the screen read Text Message Noah. At 3am in the morning she had half expected some drunken script but instead was knocked for six by three simple words, you left me. She lost count of how many times she had put the phone back in her bag only to take it out again. So that's how he felt, like she had abandoned him? After half an hour of debating she pushed call and squeezed her eyes shut pressing the phone to her ear, when it went to voicemail she didn't know if she was disappointed or relieved, only that she suddenly felt very nervous at the thought of seeing Noah again.

She had kept in touch with Finn throughout her trip and had promised to call when she was home. He had sounded so happy to hear from her that she had accepted his request to stop by the diner and say hello, momentarily forgetting who she might bump into there. Upon entering she had noticed him immediately, burying her face in Finn's neck so she didn't have to look at his face. As she was greeted by everyone else she heard a mumbled "Berry" and looked up to meet his eyes, she managed a hello before diverting her attention to Quinn and then she got out of there as quickly as she could.

It wasn't until her dad had placed the last suitcase in her room and she was left alone did she let her guard down and let the fake smile leave her face, dropping so she sat crossed legged on the floor and putting her head in her hands. She couldn't remember how long she sat there but when the annoying rumbling of an engine started to get on her nerves she stood and walked to the window looking out at the offending noise, a beaten truck with Noah sat behind the wheel. She saw him move and the rumbling stopped and then he was stood there, on her drive, staring up at her.

She figured if she didn't make the first move then he'd probably stay rooted all day, just staring up at her with that expression she couldn't read, so she quickly changed, told her dad's she was going out and took a deep breath before opening the door, mentality berating herself at the same time. This was only Noah.

As soon as she had opened the door she felt his eyes on her. She took a second to compose herself then looked at him right back. Summer had treated him well she thought, he was more tan than usual, wearing a tight t-shirt and board shorts, she felt herself blush when she realized she was flat out staring. When she reached his eyes she saw they were basically mirroring her own and this only made her blush more. She opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again, wondering what was happening to her mind, she had never been rendered speechless before, not ever. He noticed this and her whole body seemed to turn to mush as he smiled the biggest smile she had possibly ever seem him give before he nodded to his truck and asked "Wanna go for a ride?"

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**Thanks for all the Reviews, Messages and Alerts, they really make me :) Any obvious mistakes please let me know, i wasn't the best in English class.**


	3. Just Sleep

**_Chapter 3_**

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The first thing he had noticed when she left the house was that the shorts she had on were really fucking short, so short that his eyes instantly widened and he felt something stir in the pit of his stomach slowly moving lower. He quickly tried to shake the feeling and when he noticed she was looking at him just as leeringly, he smirked, who knew she had it in her to be a perv. He watched as she opened her mouth to say something only to close it a second later and felt a sense of relief wash over him as he realized he wasn't the only nervous one, letting out a rare smile he asked if she wanted a ride, he didn't realize he had said it till the words were out there and then he mentally scolded himself wondering if she would pick up on the suggestive meaning of his words. As luck had it she didn't for once, her face just lit up before she accepted his offer, bouncing over to the passenger side.

They had been driving for ten minutes engaging in awkward conversation about the summer, her talking about Julliard and him about everything she'd missed when she had cut him off mid sentence saying, "Did you think I had merely abandoned you Noah?.. Sorry, I interrupted, I just, that wasn't what happened. I had tried calling you many many times and each time you ignored me and then Julliard came and I just couldn't turn it down but you weren't talking and I didn't know what to do, but I assure you Noah, I thought about you, your friendship means so much to me and I'd hate for you to be disappointed in me and how I dealt with the whole situation, I hope that you can...." He swiftly pulled the car over and grabbed one of the hands she was waving around frantically, holding it in his before interrupting with "Berry, seriously chill." When she paused he took the opportunity to butt in, "Look I'm sorry ok, I was just so fucking messed up and needed to get my shit together but none of it was your fault, ignore that message ok, I just missed you, I missed you and I'm glad your back." He noticed the look of surprise wash over her face before she settled on one of her classic mega watt smiles and squeezed his hand, "I missed you too Noah." He felt his stomach start to do somersaults, letting go of her hand he put the truck in drive and pulled back onto the road, before he turned and asked her "So how long had you been waiting to spit out that speech." She scoffed a reply before punching him on his thigh and laughing.

He dropped her home not long after; he could see how tired she was and knew she needed to get some sleep. His breath caught in his throat as she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek before she hopped out of his truck and turned to him saying she'd see him soon. "Not if I see you first Berry." he had replied with a wink.

He decided to wait till he could see movement in her bedroom window then willed himself to pull away but after he had noticed her father's cars were absent in the driveway the pull towards that window was alot stronger. Upon spotting the trellis leading right up to her window and the tree that looked like it had been planted purely for reasons like this he began his ascent to her room, to her comfy bed with all those pillows, to her.

She screamed placing a hand on her heart when she noticed him jump from tree to trellis and then swing his legs into her room. "What on earth do you think you are doing Noah?" she had wailed. He merely shrugged expecting her to march him out of her house. Instead she had told him she had a perfectly good door he could have used that wouldn't have posed a risk towards his health had he decided to use it. He just let the words go over his head as his eyes nearly fell out their sockets raking in her even shorter pajama shorts. He noticed her raising an eyebrow like she had just asked a question, guessing what it was he kicked off his shoes and jumped on her bed saying "I need sleep too and with my sister off on holidays the house is pretty manic, you mind? I was just up kinda late." before he threw himself back on the pillows and closed his eyes. He felt her pull him off the bed, expecting now would be where she leads him to the door, she however simply pulled back the covers and climbed in shifting to the other side of the bed where she laid down facing away from him and mumbled "Hmmm, so comfy." He stood momentarily shocked before joining her.

Trying to get settled he felt the ties on the front of his shorts digging into his belly and deciding to push his luck, shimmied out of them before chucking them on the floor. She had remained silent and still throughout so pushing the boundaries even further he cautiously approached her back, pressing his chest into it slowly and placed his hand so it rested on her hip. He felt her begin to wiggle which caused him to freeze until he realized she was just getting comfortable; it wasn't until she grabbed his hand so it was in hers and pulled it so his arm was wrapped around her that he realized his heart was beating a million beats a minute. She sighed softly in his arms and he took the moment to pull her tighter against him, pressing a kiss into her hair before he shut his eyes.

As he slowly woke he noticed their positions had changed dramatically, her chest instead of her back was now flush against his and their legs were tangled together, her knee slightly pressing against his now prominent erection. He groaned and tried to shift her, backing slowly out of her embrace, the movement however caused her to stir slightly, moving her head from where it had been tucked under his chin. It gave him a clearer view of her face and the sight nearly took his breath away, she looked so peaceful and truly was beautiful when see gave her mouth a rest, he wondered when she had gone from the irritating girl that made him want to set himself on fire to the one that had ignited a fire within him. He felt himself lean his face closer to hers, he knew this could be perceived as some perverted move given she was sleeping but he couldn't help himself, slowly lowering his lips over hers. He kissed her once, twice, three times before pulling his head away, he was caught slightly off guard when he noticed that she was no longer asleep but very wide awake, staring up at him in shock.

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**Thanks all so much for reviews, alerts etc, they inspire me to keep writing. :)**


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